18431 - Secretariat Officer - Legal Aid Agency
| Posting date: | 03 June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £29,303 to £35,564 per year |
| Additional salary information: | The national salary range is £29,303 - £31,061, London salary range is £33,551- £35,564. Your salary will be dependent on your base location |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 19 June 2026 |
| Location: | UK |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 3 days per week |
| Company: | Ministry of Justice |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 18431 |
Summary
Job Title & Grade: Secretariat Officer, EO
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary range (depending on location):
National - £29,303 to £31,061
London - £33,551 to £35,564
Please note that unless you are currently employed by the Civil Service and are earning more than the minimum above, if successful you will be offered the minimum for the grade depending on your location.
Location: Any LAA Office
Please note that whilst this role is open to all Civil Servants, you can only apply for London, Cambridge and Brighton offices if you are a current LAA staff member based in those offices. This is due to and in line with the LAA's Location Strategy and the Cabinet Office's Places for Growth Strategy.
Minimum Working Pattern:
If you are applying for a part time role, please note that to meet business demands we need cover for a minimum of 30 hours and to cover 4 days of the week
To meet legal requirements, if you are between the ages 16-18 and you are a successful candidate, you will be required to complete an apprenticeship after your initial on the job training.
The Legal Aid Agency
We are an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). We are responsible for operationally administering the legal aid fund to provide criminal and civil legal aid advice to people in England and Wales.
Our people are at the heart of achieving excellence. Employing around 1,200 colleagues across England and Wales, we feel proud to have some of the best People Survey results in the Civil Service.
Corporate Assurance, Risk and Secretariat Team
The Secretariat team provides a Secretariat function for the LAA’s key senior governance forums such as the LAA Board and LAA Executive Committee and sits within the wider Corporate Assurance, Risk and Secretariat (CARS) team ultimately reporting to the Head of Assurance.
The CARS team combines the five functions of Health & Safety, Information & Data Security, Business Continuity, Risk and Secretariat to collectively strengthen and support the LAA’s governance, assurance strategies, risk management processes and provide support to the LAA’s governance and management committees.
Job Summary
This is a varied, fast paced and rewarding role that operates at the heart of the LAA and involves regular interaction with members of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and exposure to high profile issues with the ability to manage and prioritise a variable workload.
The post-holder will be responsible for leading on, and planning, a number of key meetings. They will provide support in the preparation and management of meetings as required, help manage the Secretariat team mailbox, shared drive and Microsoft Teams areas.
This is an exciting opportunity to work closely with multiple teams across LAA such as the Chief Executive’s office on a range of areas, and to build strong networks across the LAA and wider Ministry of Justice.
Key Responsibilities:
The Secretariat Officer plays a vital role in assisting the Secretariat to deliver effective, efficient and professional management of the Agency’s formal governance forums. Key duties and responsibilities include:
Providing quality secretariat support for key LAA governance meetings, including agenda planning, action management, paper collation and distribution and, formal minute-taking*;
Acting as the team lead for the management of particular meetings, being flexible to ensure cover for other forums depending on resource and business need;
Routine attendance at senior governance meetings, which may be either virtual or in-person. Although this post is national, travel to particular offices will be required where in-person attendance is necessary, though this will generally be limited to 1-2 times per month;
Leading on ensuring the attendance log is up to date and supporting Secretariat colleagues in maintaining the action logs and forward look;
Managing the Secretariat mailbox, ensuring emails are promptly dealt with, followed up when required and then filed appropriately;
Leading on meeting dates and arrangements for governance forums, ensuring meetings are planned well in advance and that meetings dates are timely and convenient for attendees;
Leading on a range of ad-hoc governance meetings, in accordance with ELT diaries and ensuring the necessary papers are provided prior to the meeting;
Assisting in the management of numerous Microsoft Teams areas relevant to each committee.
Provide ad-hoc administrative support to wider CARS team when required.
Essential Knowledge, Experience and skills
Excellent organisational and planning skills;
The ability to prioritise effectively to deliver at pace to tight deadlines and competing priorities;
Strong interpersonal and influencing skills to engage and build relationships with key stakeholders;
A good team player with a drive for continuous improvement of ways of working;
Excellent Microsoft Outlook skills to help navigate multiple outlook calendars and prioritise between conflicting meetings;
Attention to detail and excellent drafting and communication skills.
Desirable Knowledge, Experience and skills
Previous experience in a Secretariat or executive support role;
Experience of formal minute-writing;
Familiarity with LAA’s governance forums and requirements.
Experience of using or developing use of AI tools such as copilot.
Person Specification
You enjoy being part of a team;
You enjoy working in a fast-paced environment with the ability to juggle different tasks in quick succession;
You are organised with excellent attention to detail;
You have a passion to want to deliver an excellent service;
You have an interest in always striving for improvement and new ways of working.
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary range (depending on location):
National - £29,303 to £31,061
London - £33,551 to £35,564
Please note that unless you are currently employed by the Civil Service and are earning more than the minimum above, if successful you will be offered the minimum for the grade depending on your location.
Location: Any LAA Office
Please note that whilst this role is open to all Civil Servants, you can only apply for London, Cambridge and Brighton offices if you are a current LAA staff member based in those offices. This is due to and in line with the LAA's Location Strategy and the Cabinet Office's Places for Growth Strategy.
Minimum Working Pattern:
If you are applying for a part time role, please note that to meet business demands we need cover for a minimum of 30 hours and to cover 4 days of the week
To meet legal requirements, if you are between the ages 16-18 and you are a successful candidate, you will be required to complete an apprenticeship after your initial on the job training.
The Legal Aid Agency
We are an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). We are responsible for operationally administering the legal aid fund to provide criminal and civil legal aid advice to people in England and Wales.
Our people are at the heart of achieving excellence. Employing around 1,200 colleagues across England and Wales, we feel proud to have some of the best People Survey results in the Civil Service.
Corporate Assurance, Risk and Secretariat Team
The Secretariat team provides a Secretariat function for the LAA’s key senior governance forums such as the LAA Board and LAA Executive Committee and sits within the wider Corporate Assurance, Risk and Secretariat (CARS) team ultimately reporting to the Head of Assurance.
The CARS team combines the five functions of Health & Safety, Information & Data Security, Business Continuity, Risk and Secretariat to collectively strengthen and support the LAA’s governance, assurance strategies, risk management processes and provide support to the LAA’s governance and management committees.
Job Summary
This is a varied, fast paced and rewarding role that operates at the heart of the LAA and involves regular interaction with members of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and exposure to high profile issues with the ability to manage and prioritise a variable workload.
The post-holder will be responsible for leading on, and planning, a number of key meetings. They will provide support in the preparation and management of meetings as required, help manage the Secretariat team mailbox, shared drive and Microsoft Teams areas.
This is an exciting opportunity to work closely with multiple teams across LAA such as the Chief Executive’s office on a range of areas, and to build strong networks across the LAA and wider Ministry of Justice.
Key Responsibilities:
The Secretariat Officer plays a vital role in assisting the Secretariat to deliver effective, efficient and professional management of the Agency’s formal governance forums. Key duties and responsibilities include:
Providing quality secretariat support for key LAA governance meetings, including agenda planning, action management, paper collation and distribution and, formal minute-taking*;
Acting as the team lead for the management of particular meetings, being flexible to ensure cover for other forums depending on resource and business need;
Routine attendance at senior governance meetings, which may be either virtual or in-person. Although this post is national, travel to particular offices will be required where in-person attendance is necessary, though this will generally be limited to 1-2 times per month;
Leading on ensuring the attendance log is up to date and supporting Secretariat colleagues in maintaining the action logs and forward look;
Managing the Secretariat mailbox, ensuring emails are promptly dealt with, followed up when required and then filed appropriately;
Leading on meeting dates and arrangements for governance forums, ensuring meetings are planned well in advance and that meetings dates are timely and convenient for attendees;
Leading on a range of ad-hoc governance meetings, in accordance with ELT diaries and ensuring the necessary papers are provided prior to the meeting;
Assisting in the management of numerous Microsoft Teams areas relevant to each committee.
Provide ad-hoc administrative support to wider CARS team when required.
Essential Knowledge, Experience and skills
Excellent organisational and planning skills;
The ability to prioritise effectively to deliver at pace to tight deadlines and competing priorities;
Strong interpersonal and influencing skills to engage and build relationships with key stakeholders;
A good team player with a drive for continuous improvement of ways of working;
Excellent Microsoft Outlook skills to help navigate multiple outlook calendars and prioritise between conflicting meetings;
Attention to detail and excellent drafting and communication skills.
Desirable Knowledge, Experience and skills
Previous experience in a Secretariat or executive support role;
Experience of formal minute-writing;
Familiarity with LAA’s governance forums and requirements.
Experience of using or developing use of AI tools such as copilot.
Person Specification
You enjoy being part of a team;
You enjoy working in a fast-paced environment with the ability to juggle different tasks in quick succession;
You are organised with excellent attention to detail;
You have a passion to want to deliver an excellent service;
You have an interest in always striving for improvement and new ways of working.